I made the concepts and topics behind the Inner Earth Unit meaningful to students by relating it to their everyday life as well as the lives of others. This related it to what they already know or are comfortable with and can be seen through several factors. They start by finding out what a geologist is and what role they can play in their own lives. They also come to find out what a geologist researches leading them into their own basic study of the earth layers, the components that make up those layers, and how the crust forms plates and the impact their movement has on everyone. As they go through the lesson they build on their own knowledge of everyday life by relating various concepts to their own lives. Such as through the presence and impact of minerals (salt! chalk in the classroom ect.) and rocks (table tops, concrete, buildings ect.) in their lives which they may not have realized before. As we then cover plate tectonics the students grasp the larger concepts of the impact of earthquakes, volcanoes not only on the immediate area but on the wider economy and social structures. This ties back into geologists and the technology they use to study such events and what their research could mean.
I was able to assess student learning through several factors. The Daily Teaser allowed for a quick inquiry checks as well as the probing questions during all classes. By using the probing questions I am able to gauge if a topic is confusing or has misconceptions that have not been overcome that I may need to reiterate or find another way of explaining to make sure the students get a clear idea of the concepts. I also encourage inquiry from my students as this shows possible pitfalls within my lessons that I can improve, and explain at the moment to all of the students as commonly if one student is confused or curious others are as well. Teachable moments are not to be overlooked no matter what the lesson of the day states we should cover I was also able to use the reviews through homework assignments and occasionally in class on worksheets to probe the depth of knowledge with which they were able to use what they have been learning. I challenged them with more difficult and in depth tasks and questions as the unit progressed moving from information gathering in the foldables, to utilizing it for basic questions in worksheets, inquiry questions in the lab and mini-lab, and finally to engaging them in thinking about the topics and their relationship to one another by mapping, explaining rationales, and questioning technologies usefulness. This build up through each of the lessons not only allowed me to build upon the concepts of previous topics but also on the learning techniques. The repetition of the foldable gave the students a familiar back ground to work with throughout the unit, while providing them with a new way in which to collect and assess data. The build up of materials along with the depth of knowledge required to complete assignments gave the students a continuous, challenge to be met within the classroom.
Inner Earth Unit Rationale
I made the concepts and topics behind the Inner Earth Unit meaningful to students by relating it to their everyday life as well as the lives of others. This related it to what they already know or are comfortable with and can be seen through several factors. They start by finding out what a geologist is and what role they can play in their own lives. They also come to find out what a geologist researches leading them into their own basic study of the earth layers, the components that make up those layers, and how the crust forms plates and the impact their movement has on everyone. As they go through the lesson they build on their own knowledge of everyday life by relating various concepts to their own lives. Such as through the presence and impact of minerals (salt! chalk in the classroom ect.) and rocks (table tops, concrete, buildings ect.) in their lives which they may not have realized before. As we then cover plate tectonics the students grasp the larger concepts of the impact of earthquakes, volcanoes not only on the immediate area but on the wider economy and social structures. This ties back into geologists and the technology they use to study such events and what their research could mean.I was able to assess student learning through several factors. The Daily Teaser allowed for a quick inquiry checks as well as the probing questions during all classes. By using the probing questions I am able to gauge if a topic is confusing or has misconceptions that have not been overcome that I may need to reiterate or find another way of explaining to make sure the students get a clear idea of the concepts. I also encourage inquiry from my students as this shows possible pitfalls within my lessons that I can improve, and explain at the moment to all of the students as commonly if one student is confused or curious others are as well. Teachable moments are not to be overlooked no matter what the lesson of the day states we should cover I was also able to use the reviews through homework assignments and occasionally in class on worksheets to probe the depth of knowledge with which they were able to use what they have been learning. I challenged them with more difficult and in depth tasks and questions as the unit progressed moving from information gathering in the foldables, to utilizing it for basic questions in worksheets, inquiry questions in the lab and mini-lab, and finally to engaging them in thinking about the topics and their relationship to one another by mapping, explaining rationales, and questioning technologies usefulness. This build up through each of the lessons not only allowed me to build upon the concepts of previous topics but also on the learning techniques. The repetition of the foldable gave the students a familiar back ground to work with throughout the unit, while providing them with a new way in which to collect and assess data. The build up of materials along with the depth of knowledge required to complete assignments gave the students a continuous, challenge to be met within the classroom.
Unit Plan Page